MUSCATINE — Discussion on the fate of slag made for another another tense morning between the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors and concerned residents.

A back-and-forth argument took place Monday morning on when information on the toxicity of the material should have been made available to the board.

The citizens slag committee, represented by residents Doug Hoag and Daryl Sywassink, claimed local resident and scientific consultant Ed Askew, who was in attendance but was not permitted to formally present information on slag before the board Monday because supervisors would not allow the item to be added to the agenda.

According to Hoag, supervisors requested a copy of the report Askew was going to present at the meeting, seven days in advance — a request Hoag said "has never been asked for before or required before and I don't know why it was required today for these public meetings."

Supervisor Jeff Sorensen clarified that requesting information in advance has always been a requirement of the board. He said the slag committee may not have been asked about it before, but "certainly, it's common practice for the board to get that (information)."

Sywassink said Chairman of the Board Nathan Mather called him Sunday evening to ask what would be brought before the board Monday morning. Mather said after attempts to get a copy of the report that would be presented, Askew and Sywassink would not give him the information.

Sywassink argued that there has been discrimination against Askew and censorship by not letting him present before the board. He also said he thought there has been some intimidation. For those reasons, he said he will file a formal complaint with a sunshine group that investigates reported violations of Iowa's Open Meetings Law, "because I think the spirit of the law has been violated here."

Hoag presented information from the report in question provided by toxicologist Stuart Schmitz with the Iowa Department of Public Health. Hoag said Schmitz did an analysis of the material based on information recently provided to him from SSAB Inc., by Askew and that Schmitz worked with the supervisors in 2008 when the use of slag was being considered. SSAB is the steel manufacturer that supplies the slag to Harsco, which sells it to the county.

Schmitz "recalculated the adverse health effects for children and adults for the slag this county uses," Hoag said, "and found that the concentrations of metals are up to 124 times greater than the maximum allowed limits for children," and children's exposure to the material should be limited to exposure to slag to less than two to three times per year. The results also showed concentrations of the metals are 1.75 times greater than the maximum allowed limits for adults, he said. In the report, available on Askew's website, Schmitz writes specifically about manganese in the material.

"After reviewing the information that you provided on the slag that is being deposited on roads in Muscatine County," he wrote, "I would conclude that children living and playing in areas where the slag was deposited could experience adverse health impacts from the manganese within the slag."

"So, I think it's pretty clear that we've run into and found the information that you guys have asked for," Hoag said. "It is harmful to children. It is harmful to adults. So, we do need to get this slag stopped."

Mather has maintained that the board has sought evidence about issues with the slag, including its potential toxicity, and said the county hasn't used slag on the roads since June.

Board chairman Nathan Mather said he would include a motion on next week's agenda for supervisors to vote to discontinue the use of slag.

"Will that satisfy you?" he asked the group.

The group collectively said that wasn't enough. Askew said there are years worth of the material already on the roads that needs to be properly cleaned up.

"Tell me exactly how we're going to do that," Mather said.

"That's your problem," Sywassink replied.

Following an example from Askew of mass contamination in Times Beach, Missouri, where the community was completely evacuated due to dioxin contamination, Mather proposed a plan to address the issue and said, "I think it's appropriate for the board to consider suspending the use of slag."

Testing every property in the county would be costly and time consuming, so Mather asked the group if each homeowner would agree to have samples collected from their properties on affected roads to test for an toxic materials. The group agreed to the collection of samples. The board meets at 9 a.m. Monday.

"I don't see anything wrong with gathering information," Mather said, "and I do want to thank you guys for presenting — what I hope won't be taken the wrong way — evidence of actual, possible contamination."

He said he would like the board, slag committee and interested landowners to work together to resolve the issue and apologized if he came across as "antagonistic."

"We have some evidence,” he said, “and I think we can begin to formulate an action plan on this point.”

“I’ve rebuilt it in my mind probably a hundred times,” he said of the property at 614 Mulberry Ave. Rebuilding Together Muscatine County will officially purchase Tuesday from the City of Muscatine. Iliff serves as executive director of the nonprofit and he, along with a crew of volunteers, has plans to convert the former Safe Starts office to a single-family home by mid-to-late summer.

Rebuilding Together is a national organization that aims to provide affordable housing for low-income homeowners. It also focuses efforts on rehabbing existing homes to revitalize neighborhoods and allow older homeowners to live at home longer. The group has worked on many projects over the years — about 100 throughout the county — but this is the first home it will take on.

“Let’s see how this one turns out,” Iliff said.

Turning the 740-square foot former office into a two-bedroom home is no small task. Shelving will be removed, a shower and kitchen sink will be installed and appliances including a refrigerator and stove will be brought in. Volunteers will complete much of the work inside and Iliff said electrical and HVAC system work will have to be contracted.

He’s hoping to keep the total cost in the low $20,000s, he said, but because this is the first time the group will tackle a whole home remodel, it may cost more.

According to city documents, the building has been vacant since the end of 2017. The city put out a request for a proposal for the property this past summer, but received no responses. A purchase agreement was then negotiated between the nonprofit and the city for $250, with city council approving the purchase at its last session.

“It will be a nice little airtight house for somebody,” Iliff said.

After his experience helping build a porch for an elderly resident in need through a community relations committee at Monsanto, Iliff started the local Rebuilding Together chapter in 2007. He and about 14 other employees tore off the existing structure and built a new one. Iliff said the man was brought to tears by the act. “He said, ‘Frank, no one’s ever done this for me.’” The man had done many things to help the community, he said, and now “it was his turn” to be helped.

And since then, the organization has completed projects to make homes safer, especially for elderly residents. Major employers Musco Lighting and Kent Corp. have also partnered with the group on past projects. Work includes building ramps, repairing or constructing porches, installing windows, and electrical and HVAC fixes.

“It’s just so rewarding,” Iliff said.

In the past, he said he’s requested grant funding from any resources he could find and has received money for the work from Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, Muscatine Charities, Inc. and local churches. He said he’s looked “any and everywhere” for money to ensure the projects get done.

“I haven’t stood downtown with my hat in my hand,” he said, but considering the passion in his voice for the work he does, that might not be off the table.

With no formal training, Iliff has been building projects since he was eight years old. He said growing up, every time his family moved, he would be responsible for finding a place to make into a playhouse for his younger sister to “keep her out of mom’s kitchen.” He would clean up and convert old chicken or hog buildings where his sister could take toys make her own play kitchen. He said if his mother was missing a pan, they would always check the playhouse.

“I just like to build things,” he said. “I like to put things together.”

After retiring from Monsanto in December, Iliff is working for the nonprofit full time. Over the years, he has noticed how the outcomes of fixing up a home are more than the physical work. People build friendships, develop a deeper connection to their neighbors and neighborhoods, and inspire others to look at ways they too can benefit another or the community.

He said often times it can be too easy to drive through town, see a yard that needs mowed, a house that needs painting or a roof that needs some shingles replaced and not give it a second thought. Sometimes, the people residing there may need the help, but may not know how to get it.

“If you don’t do it, who will,” he said. And that attitude is also revealed in the organizations motto, “It just needs done.”

“If that house gets fixed up,” he said, “it not only helps raise the value of the home, but also of the community.”

Helping those in need and showing consideration for the community also prevents drug use and crime from creeping into neighborhoods, he said.

“In a cleaned up community, you’re not going to have meth,” he said. People wanting to use drugs “go to places where nobody is watching because nobody cares.”

“Everybody just needs to do a little bit,” he said, “and everybody can do something. It’s neighbor helping neighbor.”

MUSCATINE — Wash your hands, cover your cough, stay home if you're sick, get vaccinated — is the prescribed method for flu prevention and the mantra public health officials frequently recite. And for good reason.

In a news release Friday, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced the first influenza-related death of the 2018-2019 flu season. A reminder that the virus can be deadly for those with weakened immune systems including young children, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

The deceased is reported to be a middle-aged (41-60 years old) male from the eastern part of the state. The man was also reported to have "underlying conditions or contributing factors" that, combined with the illness, may have led to death. According to the IDPH, there were a total of 272 flu deaths during last season with 6 of them by this time in 2018.

"Any death is really terrible," said Dr. Caitlin Pedati, IDPH medical director. "It's an unfortunate reminder that the illness can kill people."

That's why disease prevention is so important from the public health perspective. Christy Roby Williams, Public Health director at UnityPoint Health Trinity Muscatine, said it’s “vital” that shared surfaces are regularly cleaned, people wash their hands frequently or use hand sanitizers when possible, especially after blowing your nose.

"If you go to the store, the first thing you do when you get home is wash your hands," said Roby Williams.

Getting the flu vaccine every year is crucial to preventing the flu because the virus morphs from year to year, Roby Williams said and vaccines are created to keep up with the changes.

"Even when the flu shot isn't perfect, it's still the best prevention," said Dr. Caitlin Pedati, IDPH medical director.

Symptoms of the flu include fever, head and body aches, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and extreme tiredness. Other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are possible, but those are more likely to occur in children. If an adult is having flu-like symptoms with gastrointestinal problems, too, it’s most likely norovirus, which isn’t covered by the flu vaccine.

Roby Williams said the exact number of influenza cases is unknown because not every health care provider tests for the virus. If a person is showing symptoms of the flu without being tested to confirm the illness, patients are considered to have influenza-like illness.

People showing signs and symptoms may even stay home and call their provider, who may prescribe antiviral medication. Antivirals must be given within 48 hours of symptoms to be effective, Roby Williams said and any people living with an ill person may also be prescribed medication to suppress the illness.

An ill person is infectious one day before symptoms show, she said, until up to 10 days after becoming sick. IDPH releases weekly reports from the Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network. Contributing to the reports are physicians, hospitals, schools, child care centers, businesses, and long term care facilities to track flu and flu-like activity including any hospitalizations.

The week 50 report that ended Dec. 16, 2017 showed of the 1,526 people tested for the flu, 249, or 16 percent of them, were tested positive for the virus. Only 2 percent, or 23 of 1,123 people, tested positive in week 50 that ended Dec. 15 (the most current report available). Now in week 52 of the season, Pedati said officials are seeing a regional spread, "a little more than what we've seen in the past weeks."

The flu season typically begins in the fall around October when the Centers for Disease Control reports flu activity begins to increase. The season reaches its peak between December and February, according to the CDC website.

Flu activity has increased from local pockets of illness to flu reported in every region over the last three weeks. And that's typical of the flu season, Pedati said, due to the holidays. Illness spreads from person-to-person contact and when people get together during the flu season, illness is more likely to spread.

Public health officials encourage vaccination as soon as possible, usually in September or October. Those who have not gotten a flu shot not only may still do so, but they should and they should do it soon. It takes about two to four weeks for the body to build an immunity to the killed influenza virus in the vaccine.

Nearly everyone over six months old should be vaccinated. Shots are available at Wester Drug, Walgreens, Walmart and Hy-Vee pharmacies, Hy-Vee Drug store and through Unity-Point Health Trinity. Vouchers are available for vaccines through Trinity Public Health for individuals with insurance policies that do not cover the $30 cost.

"People being aware of hand hygiene and people staying home are the only ways to stop the virus from being spread," Roby Williams said.

WEST DES MOINES — To assist in combating the national opioid epidemic Hy-Vee Inc. pharmacies will no longer allow a subsequent fill of a Schedule II controlled substance, or a refill of a Schedule III or Scheduled IV controlled substance more than 72 hours early without authorization from the prescriber.

“The opioid epidemic in the United States claims the lives of more than 100 people every day, and Hy-Vee is continually working to assist in the fight,” said Kristin Williams, senior vice president and chief health officer for Hy-Vee. “Implementing this 72-hour policy is one more step toward combating the opioid epidemic in communities throughout the eight states we serve.”

Hy-Vee already offers naloxone without a prescription in the eight states where it operates pharmacies: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Naloxone is available at Hy-Vee pharmacies in nasal spray and injection forms (upon request), although, nasal spray is the most commonly used form. The drug is stored behind the counter and cost varies, depending on the form and whether a customer goes through his or her insurance, or pays cash.

Hy-Vee pharmacists also ensure patients and their family members understand how to recognize signs of an opioid overdose and how to administer the medication. While naloxone is not a cure for an opioid overdose, it can assist an individual until emergency treatment is available and long-term treatment is provided. The medication has no effect if opioids are absent.

Naloxone can be administered to any person who has overdosed on a wide range of opioids, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine and codeine, as well as heroin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids killed more than 47,000 people in 2017, more than any year on record. Nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid.

The Extension council purchased property at 1601 Plaza Place with a move anticipated for September. A new location for the office was sought ahead of the end of the lease term in October for 1514 Isett Ave.

Extension Director Krista Regennitter first presented information in December to the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors on the purchase of the building and planned move. She said the council could rent the current location for another five-year term beginning in October, however, rent was expected to increase by 35 percent. At the end of the term, the building would be "fair game," Regennitter said, for any interested party.

The uncertainty made the council review other options, she said, including the possibility of partnering with Muscatine Community College, comparing different buildings and considering construction. Ultimately, the council determined building a new location was too expensive, she said.

"So, we're excited to not only find a great place that's a good home for us," Regennitter said, "but also the fact that I feel like we're going to be improving that area for the community, too."

The council purchased the property for $290,400, according to a record from Muscatine Area Geographic Information Consortium, and is fundraising to remodel the building. Regennitter said the council applied for a grant from Carver Charitable Trust and is expecting to know by the end of the month if funds will be available for the project. The council was approved for a mortgage for the property from First National Bank, she said, and used existing funds to contract design services with Mike Nolan of Horizon Architecture. The council also got approval for an additional construction loan, Regennitter said.

The council is anticipating to hold the first public meeting for the bidding process at the end of the month with bids closing mid-February, Regennitter said. Work is expected to begin in March.

Cost of the remodel was more than the council anticipated, she said, because the building was divided into six units, "but we feel confident that we're going to get the funding to move forward."

It will require work to the electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems to convert the spaces into the small and large meeting rooms, kitchenette and staff offices that are planned. The large meeting room at Isett Avenue can hold about 75 people and was used consistently by more than 44 community groups last year, Regennitter said, so the council wanted to include a comparable meeting space in the new building.

The Extension office provides programs for youth and adults in the county, including 4-H and Master Gardeners. According to the extension, 805 school-age children participated in 4-H programs in the 2017-2018 program year and Master Gardeners managed three donation gardens this year, delivering more than 6,500 pounds of produce to food pantries in the county.

Being located closer to other community resources and having better security were selling points for the new location. The building is close to Weed Park, the former Colorado Elementary School, Bridgestone Bandag Wildlife Management Area and the city's trail system.

"We're really excited because this building will connect us to a lot more outdoor activities than we currently have," Regennitter said. The parking lot also has better lighting, she said, which provides a safer feeling for the youth groups that meet in the evenings.

"I feel like we've worked really hard to use the space to the best of our ability," she said.

MUSCATINE — City Councilman Kelcey Brackett wants more open communication between elected officials and city staff. So, at last night's city council meeting, he proposed a revision to city code.

The change affects 1-10-2 City Administrator E. 1. b. that reads:

Any elected official shall deal with City Department Heads and employees, who are subject to the direction and supervision of the City Administrator solely, through the City Administrator, and Council Members shall not give orders to any such Department Heads or employees either publicly or privately. All departmental activity requiring the attention of the Council shall be brought before that body by the City Administrator.

The revised version would remove the last line. This, Brackett said, "would allow us to speak with department heads about topics related to city business," and would read:

Any individual elected official shall not give orders to any Department Heads or employees either publicly or privately. Orders to department heads may be given by majority agreement of the council; either directly or through the City Administrator.

"I feel that the current code is vague and can be interpreted either way — that we can speak to them or that we can't speak to them — depending on how you read it," he said.

The language of the proposed change was reviewed by City Attorney Matt Brick, Brackett said, to confirm it did not violate state law or conflict with any city code.

"So this is really just a code clean-up, in my opinion," he said.

Councilman Santos Saucedo said he confused by the revision because the language didn't seem to indicate any change in the way discussions are presently held.

Mayor Diana Broderson clarified that according to code, discussions between department heads and elected officials regarding city business outside of a council session, "theoretically" are not allowed. She said the revision would allow elected officials to "gather more information or ask a question outside of council."

Saucedo said when a resident has made a request from him regarding city business, he would send the information in an email to both City Administrator Gregg Mandsager in and the appropriate department head.

"I'm a little perplexed because I think I don't see a huge difference in both in my view."

Mandsager said he was "perplexed, as well, because the system has worked for 27 years." He continued to say any council member may contact a department head a long as the city administrator is notified on the conversation. Similar language is included in other city code's, he said.

"The system has worked and it has worked well for 27 years and I think that, in and of itself, shows that there's clarity and no ambiguity in the ordinance," he said.

The conversation turned to who may give orders to department heads with Brackett stating that was not the intent of the proposed change. He said he asked about the section of city code that prevented elected officials from speaking with department heads because "it has been stated to me previously that there were people that were just plain afraid to speak to us because they were told they couldn't speak to us." He continued by saying he wanted staff to be able to talk about city business or any ideas with council "without any fear of an impact on their role, their job or their position at the city."

Councilman Allen Harvey said during his two and a half years serving on the council he's never encountered a situation where officials were told they could not speak to staff. He said he wasn't sure why a council member would want to initiate a conversation with a department head without including the city administrator.

"I mean, that seems kind of secretive," he said.

Brackett said he didn't see the point for the code change if officials and staff are permitted to speak to one another regarding city business and also inform the city administrator, but he would like that clearly stated in the code.

The request was denied in a 5-to-1 vote. Councilman Tom Spread was absent. Brackett may bring the revision to council again at a future meeting.

Brackett was also named mayor pro tem for the year by Broderson. As such, he is vice president of the council and will serve in a mayoral capacity if Broderson is absent or unable to perform her duties.

A nurse and a home health aide will be added to the staff of the Louisa County Public Health Service (LCPHS), following a decision Thursday by the Louisa County Board of Health (LCBOH).

A three-member LCBOH visioning committee had agreed last month to submit the hiring recommendation to the full board after learning the LCPHS was turning down home health referrals because the current staff was completely booked.

The visioning committee also had agreed a nurse replacement was needed because former nurse/interim administrator Roxanne Smith had recently been hired as the permanent LCPHS administrator.

Those arguments were repeated during Wednesday’s full LCBOH meeting.

“With overtime and where we could be with patient load (and other needs), the county would benefit from hiring an additional nurse and an additional home health care aide,” Breanne Hammond, who had attended the visioning meeting, told the rest of the board.

Hammond said both were needed because if the LCPHS increased its skilled nursing visits that would likely cause homemaking and related activities to also increase.

“You can’t really do one without the other,” she said.

Smith agreed the need was there for both positions.

“We have probably turned away five to six referrals (that needed both services). We can’t handle them. We’re maxed out,” she said.

Smith also said her staff was having difficulty completing required paperwork and other job-related activities that were not directly tied to providing health or home care services.

“It’s the extra stuff that we’re finding a hard time to get done — the chart audits. I’m doing home care. I’m not having time to be a full-time administrator, so home care always takes precedence,” she said.

“I’m afraid when (health auditors) come around again and some of these things are not getting done, we’re going to get dinged and we’re going to feel it,” Smith said.

Earlier in the meeting, Smith had also provided the board with an initial budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2020 and used that information to explain the two positions would not substantially boost spending compared to this year’s budget.

“We’re down two positions (now),” she said, explaining her former nursing position had never been filled when she was appointed interim administrator. A full-time assistant administrator’s position also was left unfilled after the LCBOH fired the person.

Smith said the funding for those positions would cover most of the anticipated cost for the two proposed positions.

“If you crunch in the numbers, we’re only adding less than two thousand dollars that we’re asking the county to fund,” she pointed out, adding the two positions would also likely lead to more revenue, provided home health care numbers remained up.

Supervisor Randy Griffin, who attended his first LCBOH meeting as part of a swap of duties with supervisor Brad Quigley, said he understood the need for the additional staff and the small increase it would take to fill that need did not seem significant.

“We don’t want to (turn people away). We’ve got to provide that service," Griffin said. "If you’re turning people away, we don’t want to do that.”

The board then agreed to move forward with the hiring of the two additional staff.

In other action, the LCBOH:

• Received updates on environmental and public health activities for November

WEST LIBERTY — It took the West Liberty City Council less than 20 minutes to conduct its first meeting of the new year Wednesday night. But council members expect to be busy soon with budget preparation for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

City Manager Lawrence McNaul said he has been meeting with department heads to put a budget outline together. "We're about 50 percent through the budget," McNaul told the council. "We think we've got a good plan for it."

The council set a budget work session for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5.

In other business, the council approved payment of claims totaling $225,680 and approved a sewer credit of $123.31 for Ruben Galvan, 1442 Terrace Lane Drive.

MUSCATINE – The new year brings new faces to the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors.

Santos Saucedo and Doug Holliday took their seats Monday morning at the supervisors meeting. Saucedo ran unopposed for the District One seat. Holliday ran against incumbent Robert Howard for District Two. Jeff Sorensen replaced Matt Bonebrake in District Five.

Previously vice chairman, the board elected Supervisor Nathan Mather as chairman, replacing Scott Sauer. Supervisor Jeff Sorensen was elected vice chairman. Sauer made the motion and was seconded by Saucedo.

The board began discussing on which of the various commissions supervisors will serve. A final list will be up for confirmation at next week’s meeting.

"It's been kind of an unwritten rule in the past that board members serve two full terms," he said, "and that's worked out great for our conservation board."

Weiss said member Jim Goedken's second five-year term is up and he is immersed in work for the Deep Lakes cabin project. The conservation board discussed the issue, Weiss said, and according to code, to continue on the board, Goedken would have to serve another five years. To maintain continuity during upcoming projects, Weiss proposed keeping Goedken and another member, Mark Petersen, on the board for another year.

"To conserve the conservation board," Mather said, the board supported the plan. It will officially approve board appointments next Monday.

Supervisors will also make official appointments to boards and commissions next week. The board had a preliminary discussion regarding who would serve on which commissions. Saucedo elected to serve on the county solid waste management agency, Holliday will serve on the safety committee; Sauer requested the conservation board as he had previously served, as well as the Muscatine Area Geographic Information Consortium. As vice chairman, Sorensen will sit on the Bi-State Regional commission. He also requested E-911 board, emergency management and Region Nine Transportation board. Mather will serve on the veterans affairs commission. The board also approved Howard to continue serving as chairman of the board at Milestones Area Agency on Aging until the end of his term.

The board also approved resolutions allowing the county engineer to take the following actions: sign for and collect disaster relief funds, execute certification of completion and final acceptance on farm-to-market construction projects, and close secondary roads in emergency situations.

MUSCATINE – Vicki Cherry had a feeling her daughter was going to be born earlier than her due date of January 7.

And she was right.

When Vicki and Taylor Cherry’s baby girl was born Jan. 1 at 11:33 p.m. at Unity PointHealth Trinity Hospital in Muscatine, she wasn’t just the Wilton couple’s first child — but the first baby born in Muscatine in 2019.

“She’s really good,” mom said of her newborn daughter, named Cecilia Ellen. Vicki said Wednesday that she, herself, feels “pretty good, but a little tired.”

That the baby was born New Year’s Day and was a girl, though, was not a big surprise.

“I felt like I was going into labor the day before,” Vicki said, “so I wasn’t super surprised when I went into the hospital (at 3 p.m. New Year's Day) and they kept me. I kind of had a feeling that she was going to be earlier than her due date anyway. It just so happened it was New Year’s Day.”

Her dad, who described himself as “super excited,” about the child, thought his daughter’s timeliness will bode well for her in the future.

“She gets to have her birthday on a holiday,” he said. “She gets every birthday off, she’s going to have no school, no work, fireworks. It’s pretty special.”

The couple was expecting a girl based on the ultra-sound, but had been asked so many times if it would be a boy that they also had a boy’s name ready, just in case, Vicki said.